A ll ˙ınfatmhe˙ılyor the Gateamily, successtarted at homBy Tim TalevichA SERIES OF STUNNING events was set in motion adecade ago when Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the world’s rich-est man, announced plans to start the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation, seed it with a significant portion of his per-sonal wealth (about $27 billion to date) and eventuallyretire from Microsoft to devote full time to the foundation,which he did last July at age 52. Immediately, the founda-tion became the world’s largest private philanthropy. Billand Melinda Gates’ personal contribution dwarfed thoseof two other notable philanthropists in American history:oil baron John D. Rockefeller, who, according to TheChronicle of Philanthropy, gave away today’s equivalent of$7.6 billion, and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who

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donated today’s equivalent of $4.1 billion.Gates made his donation—and his career move—in theprime of his life. It was a watershed event that changed